User blog:Blahbumian/Welcome to a brave new world
Well, it happened. Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody predicted it. Even in the last couple of days, the Republican presidential candidate seemed doubtful he was going to win. But, it happened. It's what we've all been dreading, or waiting for, depending on your political persuasion. Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States of America. People reacted all over the world. Even here in my homeland of Canada, where Trump will NOT be our President, his victory is being universally talked about. My sister's English teacher gave an hour-long rant on how the world is doomed and Americans are idiots. So, calling Americans idiots is absolutely fine, but promoting stereotypes about Mexicans and Muslims is 'bigoted'? What hypocrisy. My Chemistry teacher also asked if we watched the results of the American election - I've had her as a teacher many times and NEVER, have I EVER heard her talk politics. Luckily, she didn't make a huge deal about it. All over school, Donald Trump was the discussion topic of the day. If Canadians are so obsessed with him, Americans must be talking about him even more! Donald must be proud of himself. All around the world, many others scratched their heads and asked themselves - is this the new normal? Do cynical, divisive, exaggerated, twisted campaigns now resonate the most with people? Are Westerners so aggrieved that a man as crazy as Trump can win the U.S Presidency? For years I've supported the Republican Party. Every time a Republican senator, congressman or surrogate said something ignorant and stupid, I spoke favourably of the Republicans despite people's contempt. Not all Republicans are like that. After all, Democrats say stupid things too! Except Democrats have never elected a madman for President. Somebody who's so out of his mind, he would insult veterans and lie that the unemployment rate is 30%. Somebody who has admitted to assaulting women. Somebody who shares the worldview of a dictator, Vladimir Putin. After all this, I am temporarily disowning the Republican Party - until Trump stops being the face of Republicans, which likely won't be for at least four years, I am an Independent/Moderate/Unaffiliated/whatever you want to call it. The truth is, this is not just a Republican thing. Democrats, Republicans and everyone else are now falling for cynical narratives of how everybody and everything is against them and out to get them. This applies not only to Trump supporters, but to his opponents as well. Trump's opponents believe the cynical lie that Trump proves America is racist and evil and they should all move to Canada. The truth is, America is not racist or evil; it's just going through a period of insanity. We live in what many call the Golden Age; believe it or not, facts show that the world today is a lot more peaceful and prosperous than it was at any point in history. Trump's dystopian view of the world will not change that, no matter how hard he tries. In the end, life is still fine and going on in America; people want to exaggerate and blow things up as much as they can, but Trump's victory isn't really that huge a deal. The main problem is that a cynically utopian electorate can't elect normal politicians. This applies to U.S, Canada (our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, isn't much better), and the rest of the world. If people could think more rationally and make more responsible choices, they would have better politicians. The U.S will be fine. So will Canada, Europe, and everybody else who thinks they're doomed. But maybe we want to stop going mad and start electing normal people for important political offices, since soon we'll all be voters. Does that sound like a good idea? -Blah :) Category:Blog posts